Hampton Morris became the first U.S. man to win an Olympic medal in weightlifting since 1984 on Wednesday, making for yet another emotional bronze medal win at this year's Games.
The 20-year-old, who primarily works out in his parent's garage in Marietta, Ga., took the bronze when he hoisted a combined 657 pounds between the snatch and clean-and-jerk segments of the competition.
Morris's joy at winning the bronze medal is just the first of many examples of Olympic athletes who came for gold but left happy to bring home any medal at all.
History was made again this week when sprinter Muzala Samukonga won a bronze medal in the mens' 400-meter final, crossing the finish line in just 43.74 seconds — a new national record for Zambia.
Long-distance runner Grant Fisher made a dramatic comeback after nearly falling during the men's 10,000-meter final, still managing to secure the bronze. Fisher is the first U.S. runner to medal in the 10,000 meters since Galen Rupp took silver at 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
The U.S. women's gymnastics team had an emotional bronze medal moment on Aug. 5 after Jordan Chiles's floor routine was reexamined by judges.
Chiles, the final gymnast to perform, was initially in fifth place behind Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. But after her coaches submitted a request that one skill (the tour jeté) be reviewed again, judges improved her score by a tenth — giving her enough of a lead to secure a surprise bronze medal.
Footage of the emotional moment was quick to make the rounds on social media, as viewers shared in the team's excitement.
U.S. gymnast Jade Carey also secured another bronze medal in her final vault routine on Aug. 3. She celebrated her win with fellow gymnast Simone Biles, who took the gold in the event. After battling illness upon arriving at the Games, the win was a perfect ending to Carey's "redemption tour."
Suni Lee and the U.S. women's gymnastics team scored big with Olympic medals, but it was Lee's bronze win on Aug. 1 in the individual all-around competition that bolstered newfound excitement in a medal other than gold.
Lee also went on to win the bronze on Aug. 4 for her uneven bars routine. She took to Instagram following the event to post a carousel of photos, including one that showed her reaction when she learned she'd made the podium.
Just when it seemed the world couldn't love the U.S. men's gymnastics team more, Stephen Nedoroscik's July 29 pommel horse routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics secured the team's bronze medal, their first in 16 years.
He secured another bronze medal for his final pommel horse routine on Aug. 4 and was equally elated by the results.
But it wasn't these wins alone that further endeared the team to international viewers, or even Nedoroscik's uncanny Clark Kent vibes. It was the unbridled joy the team exuded upon medaling, proving the "if you're not first, you're last" mentality has no place among them.
Now, thanks to social media, that joy is spreading all over the world, allowing viewers to celebrate the bronze with the athletes.
While watching the event from home, TikTok user Kat Johnson captured the triumphant moment as the men's gymnastics team cheered on their teammate from the sidelines. That footage has since been viewed over 1 million times. "Now this is the Olympics," the video's top comment reads.
NBC broadcaster and Olympic medalist Sam Peszek also shared in the team's joy upon their win, uploading her ecstatic reaction to TikTok. "WHAT A NIGHT!!!! So proud," Peszek's caption reads.
In a 1995 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, psychologists Victoria Medvec, S.F. Madey and Thomas Gilovich found that bronze medalists are significantly happier than the silver medalists who beat them out.
Their research found that the “what might have been” mentality robbed silver medal athletes of their joy — while bronze medalists were thrilled to make it to the podium.
With 33 bronze medals currently under America's belt, the 2024 Summer Olympics is proving to be a joyous event for the U.S. Here's how they celebrated.
The U.S. women's rugby team also exuded a similar joy upon winning their bronze medal — the first-ever Olympic medal in the sport for Team USA.
Emotions were high for the team as they spoke about the history-making win.
"In rugby, we say we're just passing through the jersey, and making the jersey better, and that's always been my goal, to make this jersey better," Ilona Maher told NBC News. "Not just for me, but for the other girls who are going to come into the program, and I want them to have me to dream of being professional rugby players, professional athletes and that's what I'm giving them."
Later, in a TikTok for Team USA, the Olympic athletes celebrated their new bronze medals. "I love that I have it," said rugby player Naya Tapper.
Even Flavor Flav couldn't hold back his joy while watching the U.S. women's rugby team make history with their win over Australia.
After winning the bronze medal in the women's 800m freestyle event on Aug. 3, Paige Madden was given the gold medal treatment by her teammate, gold medalist Katie Ledecky.
But it’s not just American teams that are exuberantly celebrating their bronze medal triumphs.
Poland won its first women’s épée medal in a match against China. Fencer Aleksandra Jarecka collapsed with emotion upon realizing she had secured the bronze medal.
Egyptian fencer Mohamed El-Sayed also put on a exuberant display after winning the bronze medal in men's épée, giving his country its first medal in the Games.
“This is so touching to watch,” commented one TikToker. “The pure excitement, and he can say something most people can’t say: He’s an Olympic medalist.”
Updated, Aug. 8 at 12:28 p.m.:This story was originally published on Aug. 1 and has been updated to include the latest bronze medal winners.
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